Effect of Zinc Nutrition on Lathyrus (Lathyrus sativus L.) under Varying Sowing Dates in the Gangetic Plains

Background: In the lower Gangetic plains, which have typical short winters and Zn-deficient soil, identifying a temporally flexible sowing window with adequate Zn fertilization assumes importance to produce Zn-dense lathyrus in rice-based systems. The current study was conducted to evaluate the effects of sowing dates and Zn nutrition on growth, Zn enrichment and economics of lathyrus. Methods: The experiment was laid out in a split plot design with three replicates comprising two sowing dates (14th and 29th November) in main plots and eight Zn nutrition encompassing various Zn application methods and method-specific doses in the sub-plots. Result: Late sowing with foliar spraying of 1.0% ZnSO4 at pre-flowering and pod development stages significantly improved growth traits and yield, while fetching maximum economic benefits in lathyrus. Although sowing dates exerted no significant effect, foliar spraying with 1.0% ZnSO4 significantly improved Zn concentration in lathyrus seed (30.36 ppm). Hence, under inevitable late sowing conditions, lathyrus is an ideal choice when accommodated with adequate Zn fertilization since it is capable of sustaining adequate productivity and nutritive values under suboptimal conditions because of its ability to strike a balance between root and shoot growths.